Course content

The Paramedic Science with Integrated Master's degree is at forefront of contemporary paramedic education in the UK, and on successful completion of the four year programme will provide you eligibility to register with the Health and Care Professions Council as a registered paramedic. The programme will prepare you to work in fast-paced emergency, urgent or primary, community-based care settings.

The programme, approved by the Health and Care Professions Council and professionally endorsed by the College of Paramedics, will provide you with the knowledge, skills, behaviours and values required for autonomous practice in a diverse range of health and social care settings.

Demonstrating your ability to engage with evidence-based practice throughout the programme will prepare you for a rewarding career as a paramedic practitioner and will enhance your career opportunities in line with the College of Paramedics Post Registration Career Framework (CoP, 2018) which may include clinical practice, research, education or leadership roles.

Course overview

The curriculum focuses not only on developing lifesaving skills and clinical interventions, in a wide range of out-of-hospital settings, but also prepares you in providing care for a range of complex health needs in the in-hospital, community and primary care setting at the forefront of contemporary paramedic practice.

You will develop your confidence and competence through engagement with real-life scenarios and through the use of specialist resources such as a fully equipped paramedic training ambulance, the skills labs, Keele anatomy and surgical training centre, high-fidelity simulation, multi-professional trauma days and major incident scenarios.

Our curriculum has been co-designed with a wide range of stakeholders, including practitioners, employers, commissioners, service users and students, ensuring you will begin your career with the relevant skills and experiences.

High-quality placements, which inform approximately 50% of the programme, are provided across the West Midlands region (with placements being co-designed by our key stakeholder, the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust), to provide the broadest range of experiences within acute, primary and community settings such as the Ambulance Service, Emergency Departments, Hospital Wards, Walk-in-Centres, Mental Health, General Practice, Maternity, Community Care and Critical Care.

This programme is delivered by experienced paramedic lecturers and clinicians and other multi-professional specialist lecturers, building on the significant expertise in the School of Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. You will gain experience in a range of practice settings across the 4 years of the programme and will be expected to engage with the full range of shifts to reflect the demands of the 24/7 service.

During your fourth and final year of the degree programme, you will gain additional specialist clinical skills, develop research and leadership skills, and start to explore the role of prescribing in paramedic practice in preparation for an exciting career as a paramedic practitioner.

Foundation year

You may choose to study this course via foundation year.

If you’re returning to education following a break, wish to study a new subject or don’t have the grades or sufficient equivalent experience for direct entry to this course, a foundation year may be a good option for you.

Following successful completion (including any additional progression requirements) of the foundation year you can progress on to this course.

The foundation year offers September starts across all subjects, and January starts across all science, humanities, social sciences and business routes.

The January intake excludes the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree with Foundation Year and other health-related foundation Year degree

For more details visit our foundation year webpages.

Foundation year

Fees and funding

As a Paramedic Science student, you may be eligible for a £5,000 maintenance grant each year which you will not need to pay back. The funding will be provided on top of existing support, including student loans. More information including the full eligibility criteria can be found here. 

Going to university can be a daunting as well as an exciting experience. It can be difficult to understand the true costs of being a student, as well as the financial support that is available to help you meet those costs.

We can help you to manage your funds, create a budget and ensure that you receive any funding for which you may be eligible. We also offer financial support such as the Keele University Hardship Fund and emergency loans.

For more information visit our money, advice and guidance section.

Career prospects

96% of Keele graduates were in a job or further study within six months of graduating (HESA, 2017)

On qualification you will achieve an Integrated Master's degree in Paramedic Science which provides eligibility to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (pending approval) as a registered Paramedic. Because the programme will utilise a rotational model as detailed by the Health Education England Rotating Paramedic Programme (2018), you will engage with a wide range of practice experiences to support improvement of patient experience and provide a range of career opportunities upon qualification.

The 4-year programme will also prepare you with enhanced assessment skills, leadership and evidence based practice to support more rapid career development. 

The majority of graduates will work within a variety of settings within the NHS.

With further study, career prospects for graduates who complete this programme, may include:

Clinical Practice:

• Ambulance Paramedic
• Primary and/or Urgent Care Paramedic
• *Advanced Paramedic/Clinical Practitioner – (Accident & Emergency, Critical Care, Primary Care)
• Consultant Paramedic

*The clinician must typically have 3 years post qualification experience before being eligible to progress into advanced practice roles and to study Independent & Supplementary Prescribing for Allied Health Professionals (plus additional entry criteria).

Leadership and Management:

• Team Leader
• Manager
• Senior Manager
• Director

Research and Development*:

• Research Paramedic
• Research Fellow
• Reader
• Professor

*Extensive research experience will be required before being eligible for progression into higher roles.

Education*:

• Practice Educator
• Lecturer
• Senior Lecturer
• Director

*Postgraduate teaching qualifications required

Regardless of which career you pursue after Keele, employers will want evidence of the range of skills and personal qualities you possess and which are required for the job. Your degree is important in this respect, but don’t forget the extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibility, jobs and voluntary work you may have been engaged in while studying at Keele. These activities allow you to demonstrate the skills and personal qualities required by employers and will be vital in your attempts to secure graduate employment.

Find out more about our careers and employability services, including career planning, alumni mentoring, jobs, internships, starting your own business and much more.